Kids view

My friends and I started a magazine, OzTaku, which has Japanese-style cartoons with original artwork. I also do some clean-up work on the GameBoy Games and mobile phone games.

How did you learn to do Manga?

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I did a short course at Monash Uni on Manga drawing and studied animation as part of my degree. And I'm continually experimenting.

Why Manga?

I got into it for the same reason kids get into it now - other kids think it's cool. You also get to learn about other people and another way of life. There's a lot of Japanese culture in it and you get to experience a little bit of culture shock - they take off their shoes and change into slippers to go in the house.

You visit schools teaching kids to draw Manga cartoons. What do you do?

We go through basics like the lines and proportions. Then we go into how you represent a face rather than recreate it. For example, you'll only use one or two lines for the nose.

The eyes are pretty important aren't they?

Definitely. One of the things we go through in every class is that little bit of reflection you draw in the eye, because without that your character looks very dead. So we show them the tricks of the trade to bring the character to life and give them personality. We spend a lot of time on the eyes and the hair.

How do you make a living?

I deliver pizza. This OzTaku magazine I'm doing, I'm actually losing money on it. We set it up in late 2003 and we're still in the red. It kind of hurts a little but we do it for the love. There are very few (Manga) artists who actually get paid for their work here.

And kids can watch you do your thing at a Japanese-themed festival soon?

Yes, as part of Chookahs kids' arts festival I'll be doing drawing demos, vandalising the walls of the Arts Centre, which sounds like an awesome idea. I always wanted to vandalise a wall and get away with it.

Interview by Heather Gallagher

Chookahs! Kids Festival is at the Arts Centre, October 29-30, 11am-4pm